Pathfinders

Brings alive the bubbling invention and delighted curiosity of the Islamic world ... his command of Arabic mathematical physics invests his story with sympathy as well as authority

Tim Radford, Guardian

A fascinating and user-friendly guide to this whole scientific movement

Noel Malcolm, Seven, Sunday Telegraph

Jim Al-Khalili has a passion for bringing to a wider audience not just the facts of science but its history ... Just as the legacy of Copernicus and Darwin belongs to all of us, so does that of Ibn Sina and Ibn al-Haytham. To think otherwise, as this book so powerfully reveals, is to do disservice to the tradition to which they belong

Kenan Malik, Independent

Spry, informative and timely ... Al-Khalili takes the reader through a brisk survey of the highlights of the period

Stuart Kelly, Scotland on Sunday

A fascinating introduction to a neglected area. His approachable style and ability to distil extensive knowledge into simple narrative makes Pathfinders an absorbing read

Siobhan Murphy, Metro

Enjoyable and informative ... provides ample evidence for the compatibility of Islam and science

Sameer Rahim, Daily Telegraph

He has brought a great story out of the shadows

Literary Review

This captivating book is a timely reminder of the debt owed by the West to the intellectual achievements of Arab, Persian and Muslim scholars

The Times